DeerHuntStories2000

Oct.28-30, 2000

Well I finally made it out with my new bow this past weekend. I hunted "Art's" down in Hocking Co. off of Rt. 56 Saturday and Sunday.

Sat. morning I stood in a creek bed near a spot where 4 ridges drop down and meet. There was deer sign everywhere (tracks and scrapes). I stood in the creek bed and leaned against a tree that was growing out of the bank. Just after daybreak I decided to move to another spot in the creek close by and when I took a step to move a deer snorted at me and ran up one of the ridges behind me. It would run 40 to 50 yards and stop an look my way and blow then move 40 to 50 yards again and do the same thing. It was a big deer, but I could not tell if it was a buck or not. It eventually ran on up the ridge, I did not think it saw me but just heard me.

About 8:30 or so a buck comes down one of the ridges in front of me and was moving toward me from my left. It was a small 8 pointer. As he came nearer he started to pass in front of me and when he was about broadside to me at 15-18 yards he spotted me and stopped in his tracks and stared at me. After a few seconds he turned and ran up the ridge about 30 yards and turned to look at me again. He could not figure out what I was and finally gave up on me and went on his way.

That afternoon I took my climber stand with me and shimmied up the tree that I stood under that morning. At around 6 pm I heard the sound of a deer running down one of the ridges behind me and off to my right. I grabbed my bow and nocked and arrow and scooted around in position. I could see a doe running down the point with another deer about 100 yards behind her. It was a big bodied buck! He was chasing her. She ran by me at about 25 yards and crossed the creek and head back up the other hill. When the buck came near the creek I grunted at him with my grunt tube. He stopped behind some saplings and looked my way, then looked up the hill at the doe. He looked my way again then look at the doe ,who was getting farther away, then he bolted after her. There was no time to shoot! It happened so fast! He was a big boy but his rack was no big deal.

Wait there is more! About a half hour later I heard deer running my way again. This time it is a small doe and two yearlings. They came toward me from my right and dropped down in the creek and stop for a drink about 20-25 yards away. The doe is not much bigger than the young ones so I passed up the shot. Just then I hear another deer coming from the same direction and it was a small buck. I grunted at him and he stopped and looked my way. When I grunted again he turned and trotted off.

Well that was it. Sunday morning was a bust. I had a great time and saw a few bucks. Can't ask for anything more. I will be back down there next weekend and most of next week. I took off of work to hunt the first full week of Nov. I hope to have more hunting tales later.

Steve

Nov. 4-6, 2000

It was a wild weekend to say the least. I will try to keep it short, but there was so much happening that might be hard to do!

Saturday afternoon Craig and I went down to Arts to hunt the elusive Hocking County whitetail buck. We headed out into the woods around 2:00 or so. I headed to the spot I hunting last week, the bottom land, while Craig headed for the point above Art's front yard. I was entertained all evening by a couple of small bucks that were running all around the hillsides. As I started to get down out of my stand a 6 pointer comes down one of the points and ends up under my stand. It was well after dark and I finally had to lower my bow down which made some noise when it hit the brush and leaves below and spooked the young lad off. Craig reported that he had deer around him but with the wind swirling the deer caught his sent and snorted at him before they ran off.

Sunday was crazy. Craig hunted one of the ridge tops above me and had the 8 pointer that I saw last week come up behind him about 30 feet away. He saw the little aggressive 4 pointer that I have been seeing, chasing a few does. He also reported seeing about 40 noisy turkeys.

I hunted the bottom again and as I was climbing up the tree with my climbing stand just before daylight I could hear deer all around me. I could hear one coming my way. I did not even have the stand fastened to the tree yet and my bow was still on the ground. It turned out to be one of the little bucks that came down to investigate the noise that I was making. A few minutes later I hear this loud grunt from the ridge top behind me. The noise made my hair stand on end! It had to be a big dominate buck that was grunting to scare away all of the little dudes. I tried grunting back hoping that he would come down and want to kick my butt but no dice.

Later on I saw two little bucks sparring about 150 yards away in a clearing. I could barely hear their little antlers clicking. Shortly afterwards I heard the leaves rustling above me and the noise coming my way. I got in position to shoot and into view comes 4 tom turkeys! They feed their way down to within 20 yards and go back up the hill feeding and purring all the way. About 9:00 I could see 3 deer chasing each other around and around above the little waterfall in the ravine in front of me.

What a morning!!! A big deer grunting, bucks sparring, tom turkeys up close, and deer chasing!!!

Here comes the best part. After Craig left to go back home I quickly ate lunch and headed back to my stand just after noon. As I was walking in the creek I scanned ahead of me. When I rounded a bend in the creek I could see my stand about 60-70 yards away. And what do I see not 10 yards from my stand but MR. BIG!!! He was Huge!!! I caught a glimpse of his long main beams and a tine at least 10 inches before he went out of sight. I could hear him walking and as he started up the hill he winded me and he snorted about 4 or 5 times and I could hear him head up to the ridge top. Boy if that don't get your heart a pumping. That is what this big buck hunting is all about!!!

The rest of the weekend had the small bucks running around and more turkeys. I think Mr. Big beds down on the ridge behind me and to my left. Maybe if I had one of those doe decoys I could set it up down in the bottom and lure him in, hmmm!!! We will be headed down again later in the week.

Well I tried to keep it short :) If you do not want to get my hunting reports I will take you off my mailing list. I do hope you find these stories entertaining.

Steve